Moistener attachment for tobacco-vending machines.



W. RAVERT.

MOISTENER ATTACHMENT FOR TOBACCO VENDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-24. I917- Patented Oct. 1. 1918.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY m: mm'ms FEYERS can PHOm-LITHQ, WASHINGTON. n. cy

as PATENT time WILLIAM ISAAC RAVERT, 0F I-IAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIsNoR TO STANDARD" AUTOMATIC MACHINE COMPANY; OF PITTSBURGH; PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA- TION" OF DELAWARE.

MOISTENERATTACHMENT FOR mozsAicoo vENDINe'MAcH'INEs;

Specification of Ltteis' Patent.

Patentedoet; 121918 1 Applibaltionfild August 24, 1917.- Serial No: 188,009.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that i I; WILLIAM I; RAVERT,

acitizen of the United States; residing at Hazleton, in the countyof Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful "Moistener Attachment for- Tobacco- VendingMachines; of which the following is a specification. Thls inventlonhas referenceto moistenen attachments for tobacco vending: machines and is intended articularly for use in -con nectionwith machines for vending cigars. V

The'object of theinvention is to produce a mois't' atmosphere in the immediate neighboi-hbod of the cigars; especially: when the latter'are'in' the box.

In" accordance with -theinvention, acontain'er" for wateris mounted; high in the vending machine and is provided' with ca pi'llary means Whereby= water in the container; which containerinay underride the'installed box of cigars, is rai secltoa greater height than' the'top of the installed box of cigars and-is there presented-to "th e air' so that by evaporation the air becomes moistened and in its natural fall contacts with *the cigars in the box; thus keeping them in a suitablymoist'condition'. The invention rovides for regulation of the ilegi 'ee of 'hnmidity so' that if thefe be"a"tei1dency' fe1the cigars to be come too moist, suoh' tendeney be checked; or, if therebe" a tendency fonthe cigars to becom'e too dry; the hunliditv of the ainin the iinirnediate neig'hborhood ofthe cigars may be increased v The invention Will be b'est understood 1511mm consideration ozf the following-ide tailed descriptiong: takeu in "connection: with the aeco'rnpaayingwdmyv ihgs 'f611' ningpartwf this specification, with the fiii thei' lund'en" standing that,'= While the drawings '1 shbw a practical foianef the-invention; the :latter lS not confined to any sti iot"conformity With the showin'g of the drawin s but may be changed andmodified so iong: as such than es and modificati ons come-within thefscope" of the appended' claimss' In the :drawinga Figure 1 1s an upright fro'nt to rea'i' sec tion of a vending maehinw embodying I the inventions the section being taken about "-midway of the width;of ithe machineg Fig. 2* is; a section on the line e a 0f- Rigel);

olgars into a receptacle 3-nea1-the Fig. 3 is a *perspective "VleW of the mois" ten'er: sepai ate 'fi oln the vending machine;-

Referring to the drawing; there is shown easing: 1, Wl110h*1112Ly"b3 COI1S1ClOI'6d as con'-' stitutin'g the casing of a vendin g machine-,- havlng" Vending apparatus 2 indicated 111" Fig. lwvithbut-any attemptto show details simply indicated in Fig. 1 by dotted lines at 5-. In a machine of the-character this out lined, theboX 5 ofth'e cigars is placedat an incline so that the end of the box, which, inthe' installed position constitutes the rear end, is considerably elevated above the" fi'ont end and is close to the "top ofthe interior of the casing;

The moistening apparatus comprises-1a" container 6 designed to"i'eceive'a"quantity of Watevindicatedin Figs; 1'and 2' at 7." The container 6 is long enough-to reach across the; casing "1 1 Within the upper portion there of and may? be of a size to fit either snugly or loosely crosswise of the casing, suitable brackets 8 fastto thebacloan'd sides ofthe casing servingas" supports" for the co11 tainer 6.

The 'casing 1has a-top portion Q'WlJlCll 111Lyb6 hl11g6d at' 10 to thebody of the casing, thus permitting a'ccessto the interior of the casing by turning: the top" portion 9 about the hinge 10. This exp0sesthe installed con: tainer 6 and the box 5=*-0f cigars or per'mits the installation of the container and box; The bfacketsHS are so position'ed'that the container 6' is in underridi'ngg relation tcthe' box 5 when both are in pi1ace within thecasing."

At each end of the containerthere is anupstanding extension 11 having a Wall 12 entering the correspondingportion of the container to the body thereof "and provided With a small passage 12 of any suitable shape permitting access of ater from the bodyof the'container 6t0 the bottom portion of each of the upstandingparts 11. The Wall 1201? eachupstanding portion 11 is continued to' the top of the upstanding portion and is fo rr'ned With an upright slot or recess 18 which, in the particular showing of the drawing, is open at the top, each extension 11 being also open at the top. In each extension 11 is lodged a wick or block 14: of asbestos or some other suitable material of capillary nature capable of elevating water from the bottom portion of the container 6 to the top of the wick where the water is exposed to air particularly through the slot 13.

In order to regulate the area of exposure of the wick 14 to the air, there is provided a slide 15, which may be metallic slide, and I this slide is formed with lips 16 and 17. There is one lip 16 at the top of the slide to serve as a handle, while the other lips 17 are so bent that they may engage the lower wall of the slot 13 and thus hold the slide 15 in difi'erent positions of elevation, thereby exposing different areas of the wick 1 1 within the slot 13 to contact with the atmosphere. In this way, the amount of evaporation which may take place is controllable.

The box 5 enters between the uprights 11 close to them, whereby the evaporating surfacesof the wicks 14: are close to the sides of the box and are arranged higher than the sides of the box at the upper end of the latter. Consequently, the evaporation which may take place correspondingly humidifies the air above the cigar box, and this air is confined more or less to the cigar box and the cigars therein, which are thereby kept in a moist condition and are prevented from becoming too dry.

When atmospheric conditions are such that the humidity of the air within the top of the casing is too great, the slide 15 may be raised and the evaporating surface of the wick 14: correspondingly reduced. On the contrary, the lowering of the slide 15 increases the evaporating surface and the humidity of the air may be thereby increased.

In each event, the humidifying of the air is at a high point within the casing and directly opposite the opposite sides of the in stalled box of cigars at the high point of the latter, so that the moisture is delivered to the cigars in the most direct and efficient manner.

In order to vfacilitate the introduction of water into the casing 1, a filler 18 is provided at a convenient point;

By providing a water receptacle with rising capillary devices exposed at high points to the atmosphere, the degree of humidity imparted to the atmosphere may be sensibly constant under the prevalent atmospheric condition and may be made to continue dur-' ing long periods of time without attention. Such a moistening device is far superior to masses of absorbent material in which the amount of moisture progressively decreases and which, unless water be frequently added, soon becomes dry or so deficient in moisture that the humidifying effect becomes rapidly decreased to a marked degree.

hat is claimed is:

1. A moistening means for tobacco vending machines, comprising an elongated receptacle for water, and capillary devices rising therefrom and provided with evaporating surfaces facing each other and spaced apart for location on the opposite sides of a box of cigars lodged in the vending machine over the water receptacle.

2. A moistening means for tobacco vending machines, comprising a water receptacle with Lip-standing ends rising therefrom, and capillary devices within the ends and entering the water receptacle, said receptacle being of a length between the ends suflicicnt to receive one end of a box of cigars, and said ends being of a height to rise above. the box of cigars, and where so rising above the box of cigars exposing the capillary devices at the faces toward said box of cigars.

3. A moistener attachment for tobacco vending machines, comprising an elongated container for water with uprising ends communicating with the bottom portions of the corresponding ends of the container and open at the upper ends, each uprising portion having the face toward the other uprising portion open, and a wick-like'membe'r of 95 capillary characteristics lodged in the upright portion and extending to the bottom thereof with portions exposed to the atmosphere through the open sides of the upright portions to provide evaporating surfaces.

' 4. A moistener attachment for tobacco vending machines, comprising an elongated container for Water with uprising ends communicating with the bottom portions of the corresponding ends of the container and 105 open at the upper ends, each uprising portion having a face toward the other uprising portion open, and a wick-like member of capillary characteristics lodged in the upright. portion and extending to thebottom 11 thereof with portions exposed to the atmosphere through the open sides of the upright portions to provide evaporating surfaces, said upright portions each having a slide member movable thereinover the evaporat- 115 ing surface of the wick. 1

5. In a vending machine for cigars, a support therein, and a moistening device having a container for water arranged transversely of the support below one end thereof and 120 provided with upstanding ends with capillary conductors of water therein, and said upstanding ends each having the side toward the other open to expose surfaces of the capillary conductors for evaporation of the water carried thereby, the open sides being located on opposite sides of the support ata higher elevation than those portions of the support adjacent to the moistening device.

6, A moistener attachment for tobacco 130 vending machines comprising an elongated container for water with upstanding hollow ends each having the wall facing the other end of the container entering the latter with the hollow end communicating with the container through said wall at a low point, and said Wall above the container having an elongated slot or opening, and a body of capillary material lodged in the upstanding hollow end and having an evaporating surface presented at the slot in the inner wall of said upstanding end.

7. A moistener attachment for tobacco vending machines comprising an elongated container for water with upstanding ends each having a wall toward the other end entering the container and communicating therewith at a low point, said Wall above the container having an elongated slot or opening, and a body of capillary material lodged in the upstanding end and having an evaporating surface presented at the slot in the inner wall of said upstanding end, said container also being provided with a slide in each upstanding end movable up and down therein into varying covering relation to the slot, and the slide and upstanding end hav ing coacting means for holding said slide in difierent positions of adjustment.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aifixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM ISAAC RAVERT.

Witnesses:

HARRY M. GARTER, STEPHEN ELLIOTT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G." 

